Beyond the Fence
by ellie2498
Summary: "I take my seat in the back row. I shoot Noah a small but somber smile, and he returned it. I gaze around at the rest of the 'victims,' as we were always referred to on the news. Only a few of us were actually injured, me included. The rest were just dragged into this mess."
1. Chapter 1

**This story is based off of an inside joke with one of my friends, so it may be kinda weird... I tried to take our silly idea and make it into something actually scary, but no promises...**

**Disclaimer: Oh, the things I would do if I actually owned Total Drama...**

***Cody's POV***

* * *

I take my seat in the back row. I shoot Noah a small but somber smile, and he returned it. I gaze around at the rest of the 'victims,' as we were always referred to on the news. Only a few of us were actually injured, me included. The rest were just dragged into this mess.

I look down at my black shoes and matching black pants and sigh. _It's an awfully nice day for a funeral,_ I think. The sun is bright and high in the sky. In the distance, I hear birds chirping. But instead, I'm here.

I won't tell you who's funeral it is, though. That would ruin the ending of a good story! And by good, I mean... oh, what's the word... horrific. It sounds like a story Duncan would tell just to scare the pants off Courtney. And it's a little unbelieveable, so you'll have to bear with me. Half of the time I didn't even believe it, and I lived through it. But I digress. It all started one spring afternoon...

* * *

"Pass me the ball!" I yelled. Bridgette kicked the blue soccer ball towards me and I swiftly kicked it past Owen and into the goal. Bridgette, Noah, and Beth high-fived me, because that point put us in the lead against Gwen, Tyler, Owen, and Lindsay. I know that you may be thinking, Noah, playing soccer? But yes, he's actually pretty good. Their team got the ball back, and Tyler was wide open to score...

...but he kicked it high into the air and face-planted.

Noah cheered, "yeah!" while Owen helped him up. I searched for the ball, but I couldn't find it. I jogged over to the fence behind the goal and peered through the chain-link, but it was nowhere to be seen. The dense forest had eaten it. By this time, everyone had joined me.

"We can't play without a ball," Gwen spoke.

"Well, I'm not going in there!" Owen piped up.

"Oh, I know! We can play with a rock!" Lindsay said, but everyone ignored her, except for Beth, who said, "Great idea, bestie!"

"It's getting too dark out here anyway," Bridgette added. "I'm just going to head home."

Everyone mumbled in agreement and started heading off to their own houses. "But... My ball is in there..." I stammered. I looked behind me, and only Noah and Tyler were left standing on the field.

"I'll help you get it, bro," Tyler said. "I was the one who kicked it."

"I'm just here because you're my ride home," Noah explained.

"Wow, thanks." I rolled my eyes at him.

Tyler tried to scale the fence but failed and landed flat on his back. "It's okay, I got it!" he reassured.

"Do you think we should tell him that there's a gate over there?" Noah asked. Tyler fell again, so I helped him up and guided him over to the gate.

Only five feet into the forest, it was already close to pitch black. I pulled out my phone, and my two friends did as well.

"Geez, why is so dark?" Noah remarked.

"Just stay calm," I advised, even though my heart had started to pound.

"Do you see the ball anywhere?" Tyler asked.

"Nope."

"Nada."

We continued forward. It was eerily silent except for the sound of our footsteps and my frantic heartbeat, but I don't know if anyone else could hear that. I was just about to suggest turning around when Noah exclaimed, "No, Cody, I won't hug you, so stop asking!"

"What? I never asked if I could hug you!" I defended.

Tyler burst out laughing. "Tyler, was that you?!" Noah barked.

"No man, I swear! But that was hilarious!"

"One of you was whispering in my ear, and I'm going to find out who!" Noah yelled. We had stopped walking and were standing, shining our phones towards each other. Suddenly, Noah's scowl dropped, and his skin paled. His dark eyes widened.

"Noah?!" I screamed. The thought that he was pranking us had crossed my mind, but then again, Noah's not that good of an actor. He took off, heading back the way we came. Tyler and I stumbled after him. When we got back to the soccer field, Noah collapsed on the grass. Panting, I asked, "What the hell?!"

"Did you see that?" he gasped.

"What?"

"It was like," his nose scrunched up as he was trying to explain it, but the fear still showed on his face, "a... a knife or something!"

"So?" Tyler asked. "We've all seen knifes before."

"No, this knife was floating! In the air! I swear! It was about to kill you!" Noah pointed at me.

"Yeah buddy, I think I should take you home now," I said.

"No! It was real, I saw it!" Noah yelled. "I'm not crazy!"

"So, there's a floating knife in the woods that wants to kill Cody?" Tyler clarified. "Yeah, you're not crazy."

"Okay, fine, don't believe me! But when that knife kills you next time you go in the woods, I won't feel sorry for you." He stormed off towards my car.

"How long do you think he'll hold a grudge?" Tyler asked.

"C'mon, it's Noah! He can't stay mad at us forever. We're his only friends!"

"True. Sorry we couldn't find your ball, by the way."

"Nah, that's okay," I reassured. We said good-bye, then I climbed in the driver's seat. Noah was pouting in shotgun.

"So, a knife, huh?" I teased.

"That shit was real."

"Oh, I believe you."

"Shut up, no you don't."

"Can't argue there."

He punched my arm, but I could tell he was already forgiving us. I mean, a floating knife? Really?

* * *

_I was running. Running from what, I couldn't remember. Trees whipped past me, and their branches brushed my skin. I racked my brain, searching for answers, but I couldn't remember even how I got here. I just knew that I had to leave, that I shouldn't be here. 'I'm almost there!' I thought. 'Just a hundred more yards!' I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I forced myself to move faster. Suddenly, he was in front of me, knife at the ready. I screamed._

The sound of my own scream woke me up. I was in my own bed, safe and sound. _That was weird,_ I thought. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, I managed to fall back asleep, but my mind was still restless. Somehow, I vaguely knew that something was very real about that dream.

* * *

**Viola, the first chapter is finished! Tell me how you like it so far! :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**BTW each chapter will start in present tense at the funeral, just to give you some hints at who's funeral it is! Oh, and I don't own anything!**

* * *

Beth leaves the podium, her face streaked with tears. I'm pretty choked up, but I'm not ready to cry just yet. I guess I should wait until after I have to say something. Well, nobody _has _to say something, but most of the Total Drama cast is anyway. They had a lot of good friends...

* * *

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

My alarm clock buzzed in my ear. I groaned. Monday mornings are the worst. I felt as if I only slept ten minutes last night, which is kind of true since I woke up about a hundred times.

Lazily, I rolled out of bed and blindly made my way to the bathroom. Without turning the lights on yet, I half-assly washed my face and brushed my teeth. Stumbling a little, I got back to my room and put on clothes in the dark. Vaguely I hoped I was putting on something that matched, but then again, I didn't really care.

I slumped downstairs into the light and cringed a little. If I could make it through the whole day in the dark, I would.

After eating something and sitting around and contemplating going back to sleep, I got in my car and started driving to Noah's house. I have to drive him everywhere because, even though he has his license, he had to share a car with his eight older siblings, and he's still trying to save money for his own.

I pulled into his driveway. After a few minutes, he emerged from his house and got in the car. I could tell he was as tired as I was because his hair was rumpled and covering half of his face. Halfway to school, he asked, "Did you ever find your ball yesterday?"

"No."

"Oh, sorry."

I waved it off. The question I was dieing to ask was on the tip of my tongue, but he said, "Guess we can't play soccer today."

"Yeah." I opened my mouth again to ask the question, when he changed the subject.

"What did you get on the English test?"

We kept talking about academic stuff, and graduating in a few weeks until we got to school. Noah stepped out of the car, but I still sat in the driver's seat, my hands still positioned on the steering wheel. The question still bounced around in my head.

_"Did you have the nightmares too?"_

* * *

"So, Tyler told me about the knife," Gwen said as I took my seat in Spanish. Everyone else was smart and had taken it in middle school, so Gwen and I were the only seniors stuck in Spanish 3.

"Sí." **(yes)**

"Is Noah like, possessed now?"

"Haha, más o menos." **(pretty much)**

"Dude, speak English."

"Qué? No te entiendo!" **(what? I don't understand you!)**

"Inglés! Habla Inglés!" **(English! Speak English!)**

"Well, all you had to do was ask. Geez."

"God, you're so annoying! Stop trying to change the subject!" she yelled.

"Okay, so there's a murderer in the woods. Your point?"

"You're not freaked out? I thought you of all people would be scared," she commented.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Last time I remember being in a forest with you, you peed your pants. Twice."

"That was three years ago!" I defended.

"Sure, whatever. So would you go back in there?"

"No!" My pitch embarrassingly rose.

"Told ya you were scared."

Okay, so maybe I was scared a little. Wouldn't you be? Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Wouldn't be the first time. Think of all of the things that Noah could've seen. Nothing dangerous is in the woods! Gwen smirked as she watched my internal conflict. I hate how I can't mask my emotions. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back so that she couldn't see my face. Plus, I was tired! I could feel my mind slipping away into unconsciousness...

"Boo."

I shrieked like a little girl and hit my knees on the bottom of my desk. Every pair of eyes turned to me, and my face burned.

"I, uh, saw a mouse," I blurted. _Wow, nice save Codester,_ I thought as soon as I said it. Gwen was struggling not to laugh. Her face was turning red and her shoulders were shaking.

"Thanks a lot," I muttered and I shot her an angry look. That sent her over the edge, and she burst out laughing. I buried my face in my arms, trying to return my cheeks to a normal color. If only I wasn't such a scaredy cat.

* * *

I woke up. My heart was pounding and I was sweating a little. I don't remember why, or what I was dreaming about, and that bothered me. If I was going to have nightmares, I should at least remember what I was scared of, right? But really, this was getting annoying. I shouldn't be scared of a fake thing that I didn't even see.

Back to the reason I woke up. The phone! The phone was ringing! I yawned and rolled off the couch. Then I stopped because I just realized that I was in the living room and not in my bedroom. I came to the conclusion that I dozed off while I was watching TV because I was damn tired when I got home from school. By that time, the phone had stopped ringing, and Noah's voice rang through my otherwise empty house.

"_Cody, it's me. If you're there, please pick up, because this is kind of important! And hurry, because-_"

"Hey, hey, I'm here!" I said after I ran to pick up the phone. "What do you need?"

"Turn on the news. Now."

After fumbling around to find the remote (and Noah impatiently yelling "Hurry!" in my ear), I flipped on the local news.

_"Local police detectives are on the case to find out who murdered Staci Briggs. She was last seen yesterday night, and her body was found this morning, in the woods behind the Allen Neighborhood Park. It appears that she was stabbed to death, or that someone had cut off her limbs and she bled to death. Keep your children away from..."_

"Okay, that's freaky. Why did you show me this?" I asked.

"It gets worse. Pause the screen when they show the police tape all throughout the trees."

Why is he making me watch this? Is he purposely trying to keep me up at night? I do not need to know that there is a crazy murderer running around near my house. I guess my dreams were right.

I pressed rewind and paused when he told me to. "Now what?"

"Bottom left."

I searched the screen, and when I found it, I dropped the phone. In the corner of the screen was _my blue soccer ball._

* * *

**Sorry I had to add in English subtitles, but I know that there are some of you out there, like myself, that don't speak Spanish. And Cody's Monday morning routine is very similar to mine. This chapter took me way longer to write than it should have. Here is how it started:**

**Take 1**

**They go to the farm to smoke some pot. JK, that never happened.**

**Take 2**

**"I don't understand it! I don't understand anything at all!" (which I really only wrote down because my friend kept saying it over and over when I was trying to write.)**

**Take 3**

**Beth left the podium, her face streaked with bananas. I was busy choking on a hot dog, when...  
**

**And that's what happens when I bring my real friends into my fanfiction world. Read and review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Total Drama, probably because I'm American, and also 14.**

**'Chop Monster's' Point of View (the killer)**

* * *

I really didn't mean to kill that girl. I just wanted a hug! Here's how it happened: she was walking through the woods, through _my_ woods. I simply asked her for a hug, and she said okay. I hugged her, and she was telling me about how her great-great-great-great-great-uncle invented hugs. It was right about then when she screamed and bled to death. I tried to help her, but I was too late. Besides, I think I only made it worse. I stayed with her until the police showed up. Then, I had to hide, because I'm a monster.

My conscience haunted me after that. Images of the blood, the riots, the mobs flashed before my eyes. I can still remember the headline of that morning. 'Chop Monster Strikes Again.' It wasn't always this way. I wasn't always a monster.

When I was little, my dad took me to the amazon because he's a lumberjack. It's illegal to cut down trees in the amazon, I know. Anyway, my dad left me alone for a couple of minutes. That, sadly, was enough time for me to attract and provoke an alligator. The feisty beast ripped both of my arms off. My dad is far from being a doctor, so instead of equipping me with fake arms, he fashioned some arms made out of knifes. At first, it was pretty fun. It was sudddenly not funny anymore when the knifes got stuck.

* * *

**Cody's Point of View**

"Oh my god!" I yelled as I ran around my room. "Oh my flippin' god! I'm going to _die_ tonight!" I continued to run in circles until I tripped over a stack of textbooks. _Carpet burn on my face!_ I thought as I stared into the carpet. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, whether from my burning chin or that the reality of the situation just hit me. With blurring vision, I rushed downstairs to make sure all of the doors were locked. Then I vowed not to leave my house again until this murderer was dead, or in prison, or at least very far away from me. I'm not taking any chances.

The phone started ringing again. I cautiously answered it, even though I was half-expecting a creepy voice to tell me I was going to die in seven days.

"Hey, wanna go to Wal-Mart?" Noah's monotonous voice asked.

"What?"

"My mom is making me go to Wal-Mart for her, and my only transportation options are you or my bike."

"What's wrong with your bike?" I asked.

He laughed once. "Other than the fact that it's for ages 4-7?"

"Why don't you ask Owen to take you? I'm sure he'd love to," I suggested.

"What's your deal? You sound nervous."

"I'm not nervous!"

"Yeah, right. So I'll be over in a few minutes, okay?"

"Wait!" I protested, but he had already hung up. I groaned. Looks like I'm going to Wal-Mart.

* * *

I tip-toed along next to Noah through the cereal aisle.

"Why are you walking like that?" he asked.

"Like what?"

"Like a creeper. What's with you tonight? And what the heck happened to your chin?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I mumbled.

Behind us, there was a loud crash. I jumped and yelped, thinking it was my attacker. Noah chuckled. It was just a Lucky Charms box that had fallen off the shelf and spilled open. I nervously laughed along with him, even though I could've sworn I heard footsteps.

Next came the apples. I still felt paranoid, but I tried not to let it show. As we walked by all of the produce, I pointed out that a lot of the fruit had holes in them.

"Must've been a battle between the fruits and vegetables," Noah commented. "Or some kind of fruit murderer."

I flinched at the word 'murderer.' It was also unnerving that we were pretty much the only people here. That's why it was shocking when...

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!

Apples tumble off the shelves. Not just a couple, not just one basket of them, but _all_ of them. Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Gala, Fiji, all of them fall to the ground in a waterfall of apples. The last few tip over, and then the store is quiet again.

"Well, uh..." Noah stammered. Not even the king of comebacks had something to say. We were still standing there, wide-eyed, when a worker runs up behind us.

"Hey man, what happened?"

"Geoff? I didn't know you worked here," I said.

"Oh hey dudes! Didn't recognize you there for a minute! I work the late shift. It's pretty chill," he explained. "Did you dudes do this?"

"No," we said at the same time. He scratched his head in bewilderment. "Weird..."

Geoff said he was going to leave that for the manager to deal with, then he left. I was definitely ready to leave.

"But we only have one thing left to get, besides apples," Noah told me.

"Whatever! Just get it tomorrow! Please," I begged, "let's leave!"

"Nope." Noah steered the cart towards the back of the store.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" I blurted before I thought about what I was saying.

"What? Is that why you're so freaked? That stupid news story? I was just going to get you a new soccer ball. Geez."

"Wait, what?" My face burned with embarrassment. And here I thought Noah's brain had eaten his heart for protein.

* * *

"You're just being paranoid, like always," Noah said while passing my new red and white soccer ball in between his hands.

"No, that was freakin' him!" I protested as I gripped the steering wheel harder. The only other man in Wal-Mart, besides Noah and Geoff, was wearing a long black sweatshirt and dark jeans. As he left, something was coming out of one of his sleeves. Something that glinted. Like a knife. Like that knife that tried to kill me. "Why the hell would someone have a knife at Wal-Mart? And why did all that weird stuff happen?"

"Cody, it's Wal-Mart. It's like a ratchet paradox already."

"No, I'm telling you! This isn't a coincidence!"

"God, arguing with you is like arguing with a woman."

"Hey!" As if to prove his point, my voice rose. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Noah chuckled. "Nothing, Ms. Anderson."

I fumed in silence until I dropped his sarcastic butt back at his own house.

* * *

**So... Who is Chop Monster? And has Cody gone crazy? Is Wal-Mart really a ratchet paradox? Good questions, and only I know the answers! Hahaha! Except for the last one, you can decide that. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I don't own Wal-Mart or whatever else I may have mentioned in this chapter, heh heh. Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

_"This is heavy. We were bros! We were on the same team, man!"_

* * *

It had been about a week since the dreaded Wal-Mart incident, and life was starting to turn back to normal. Graduation inched closer with every day, and the excitement between us was growing.

"_Don't stop believin'! Hold onto that feelin'!_" I sang while on my way to Tyler's house. He texted and asked if I wanted to watch "Napolean Dynamite" with him tonight. Of course I said yes; who would pass up the opportunity to see such a great movie?

I let myself in and discovered that Noah and Owen were there too. The more, the merrier, right?

"Hey guys!" I greeted.

"Does this mean we can start the movie now?" Noah asked.

"Oh yeah, baby!" Owen exclaimed, and he hit play on the recording.

"What is this? This isn't Napolean Dynamite!" I pointed out. Instead of The White Stripes singing "We're Going to Be Friends," it was some creepy orchestral song.

"This is 'The Shining'! You recorded the wrong movie, dumbass!" Noah yelled.

"Whatever, let's just watch this! Horror movies to the extreme!" Tyler said.

I wasn't in the mood for a horror movie, but I didn't say anything. I'm sure that if I left, I would get a lot of heckling. As if Noah didn't tease me enough for being a chicken.

During the movie, everyone remained pretty calm. I attempted to, even though on the inside I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I stayed quiet until Jack came around the corner with an ax and killed Dick Hallorann. At that point, I couldn't stay quiet. I screamed, long and loud, until Noah threw a pillow at me.

"You woke me up!" he complained.

"How could you _possibly _sleep through this?!"

He shrugged. "Not that scary."

Every little thing that happened for the rest of the movie earned a scream from yours truly. I really thought my vocal cords were going to break when Jack was chasing Danny through the hedge maze. Is it possible to break vocal cords?

The ending credits finally rolled, and I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding. Tyler flicked the lights on.

"Dude, Cody! You're so white! Are you okay?" Owen asked.

"I... I think so." Meaning: hell no.

* * *

Some way, somehow, I finally went to sleep. The four of us were crashing at Tyler's house. I woke up the next day with my head on Owen's stomach. I jumped away because I was also dangerously close to Owen's armpit. In the process, I accidently kicked Tyler in the head.

"Sorry!" I cried.

"'S okay, I'm okay," he reassured.

"Wha happen'd?" Noah groggily asked.

"Nothing, nothing," I said on my way to the bathroom. My voice wasn't completely gone, but it wasn't in good shape either. It was all scratchy, and it kind of hurt to talk. Note to self- no screaming today.

That lasted about thirty seconds.

One glance in the mirror was all it took to unleash some rather girly screams from inside me.

Someone, in bold red marker, had written REDRUM on my forehead, which of course in the mirror, looked like MURDER.

Tyler started banging on the door. "You okay in there?"

I opened the door. "Who wrote this?!"

He jumped back. "Whoa man, that wasn't me."

I stomped over to Noah and Owen. "This isn't funny!" I tried to yell, but my voice was so broken, I sounded like a severe case of puberty. They broke out laughing. "Stop it!"

Owen stopped long enough to address Noah. "Did you do that?"

"Haha, no! You didn't?"

They both stopped laughing, probably thinking the same thing that I was. Tyler was the one who spoke up.

"Then who wrote it?"

* * *

"Are you posessed now too?" Gwen asked me the following day.

"Ugh, they told you about that?"

"Well, you know what they say. All work and no play makes Cody a dull boy."

"That's not funny!" As she laughed, I used every restraint I had not to hit her. Then I grew horrified at the fact that it had even crossed my mind to hit her. Maybe I really was becoming obsessed. I mean, I had a crush on this girl for two years!

"Of all the horror movies out there, 'The Shining' is pretty tame. I mean, seriously, this is pathetic."

I didn't want to have to do this, but she left me with no choice. "I'm sorry I'm not as brave and macho as Duncan."

Her face immediately contorted into a mask of rage. After the third season, Gwen and Duncan had a rough break-up, and now she hates it when you use the 'D-word' around her. "Fuck you Cody," she spat, then she stormed off.

I watched her go, stuck still with shock. Of all the times I've been super-annoying around her, she's never said that to me. I jumped when Noah came up from behind.

"Still scaring off the ladies, I see? How many times do I have to tell you that they don't like it when you sniff their hair!" he teased.

"Oh, really? I forgot again!"

* * *

"_Hey Gwen, it's Cody. I'm really sorry about what I said earlier. I was being stupid. Call me back?"_

I frowned. Man, did I make a mistake today! I paced around my room. I don't have a crush on her still, but I believe in forgiveness. _Whatever, I'll just talk to her tomorrow,_ I thought.

That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I turned on the TV, and all that was on was the late night news. _This'll put me to sleep. _I was already nodding off.

_"And they got Catloaf safely down from the tree. In bigger news, another crime was commited at Allen Neighborhood Park."_

I shot up. That's the park! That's the knife park!

_"Last night-" _Click. The TV shut off, and I was engulfed in darkness. I heard a scream coming from down the hall.

"Mom?"

* * *

**Just saying, I don't own The Shining or whatever else I may have mentioned in here. That includes Total Drama.**

**So, you like?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Just saying, if you're really confused, every chapter starts with the present time at the mystery funeral, and then it changes back to the story in past tense. Have you figured out who died yet? Hm...**

* * *

Frankly, I'm disgusted by the number of people here. Did they all know him personally, like they claimed? At the last minute, his parents made the funeral open to the public, but only if they knew him. People swarmed here anyway. It's not every day that an original contestant from Total Drama has died. They were all ushered to stand in the back, everyone without a formal invitation. Now, a black mass looms behind me. I don't like it.

* * *

"Mom?" No answer.

Slowly and as silently as possible, I fished around in my closet for the metal baseball bat I kept from when I played tee-ball. I forced my feet to move forward. I stuck my free hand out in front of me so I wouldn't run into anything. I had made it to the doorway when I spotted a shape blacker than usual in the hallway. It looked like a person.

And it was headed for me.

I swung the bat out in front of me but missed.

The person threw a punch at me and struck the side of my face, narrowly avoiding my temple. I screamed and held my face in agony.

"God dammit, Cody! I thought you were an intruder!" my mom yelled.

"What?" I sputtered. She turned on a flashlight, and through the black spots in my vision, there was my mother in a pink nightgown.

"Hold on, let me get the lights back on. Follow me."

I stumbled after my mom. I could feel my right eye beginning to swell shut.

She led me into the garage, and she opened the power box on the wall. "Damn, those circuits broke again." She instructed me to hold the flashlight while she connected some wires or something. I don't know, I couldn't really see at the time.

The power finally clicked back on, and it was a good thing too. I felt that I was going to pass out any second.

In the kitchen, she gave me a bag of frozen, expired peas to hold to my face. She asked if I was okay, then left when I said yes.

"Owwww," I moaned when she was out of ear-shot. "Oww oww oww..."

I had probably sat there for a good hour before I fell asleep.

* * *

_PLUNK._

I sat up, and my eye throbbed. I instinctively brought my hand up to my face, and it was _huge._ The bag of peas was on the floor, but I guessed it was on my thigh for most of the night because the right side of my shorts were wet and cold.

I was still sitting in a chair in the kitchen. From the looks of it, it wasn't quite morning yet. The house was only semi-dark.

Deciding to go upstairs to my room was probably a mistake. Each step sent a new wave of pain to my head and/or face. My mom could really pack a punch.

Eventually (and when I say eventually, I mean turtles moved faster than I did), I made it safely into my bed. It wasn't even five minutes before my alarm clock started buzzing. I yelled in frustration and ripped its cord out of the wall.

After a couple minutes, my mom poked her head in. "Why aren't you getting ready?"

"For what?"

"School? You know, the place you go everyday to learn stuff?"

"Ugh, why bother? All we're doing is goofing off and studying for finals."

"So you can pass those finals and get a career. Now start moving!"

I knew I was at risk of getting another black eye if I disobeyed her, so I lugged myself up. Again.

* * *

"Dude, what happened to your eye?" Noah asked. "Another bear mauling?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, you can tell me," Noah persuaded. "I promise I won't tell anybody."

He sounded sincere enough, so I told him the whole story.

He chuckled. "I never realized how strong your mom is!"

"SHUT UP!"

That only made him laugh harder.

"You will never speak of this again!" I warned. He laughed all the way to school, but obediently stopped when he stepped out of the car. He was driving today, of course. As if I could drive in this condition. Plus, I was feeling quite drowsy because a) I hardly got any quality sleep last night, and b) I took a lot of pain medication this morning. But hey, I was up and walking like a normal person, right?

All I wanted today was to not be noticed, so obviously everyone decided to care about me.

"What happened to your eye?"

"Cody, are you okay?"

"Oh my gosh, does it hurt?"

Finally, Noah got tired of listening to stupid questions and me stuttering to answer them. "He got punched by his mom," Noah explained.

Everyone grew silent. They started to look at me with pity. Even I knew how wrong that sounded.

Noah caught on too. "Please, not like that. It was in the dark. Thought Cody was a burglar. Freak accident kind of thing."

It was then that I realized that even though my mom was trying to protect me, she ended up almost killing me. Go figure. This is a lesson I would encounter later on too. Of course, I didn't know it then.

* * *

I wasn't mad at Noah for telling everybody my pathetic story, even the short version of it. Actually, I was kind of relieved, because I am a terrible liar.

I was sitting in English, the most boring class of the day. We were going over some ancient poem. My fatigue was finally getting the better of me. I sturggled to listen, but alas, I couldn't. I don't know how long I was out for, but by the time I woke up, the lecture was over and the room was silent. Well, as silent as a room full of seniors could be.

My English teacher ushered me over to his desk. _Oh god, here it comes. My punishment to scrape all of the nasty gum off of the bottom of the desks. Great._

"Are you okay?" he asked. It took me a second to realize that if I play my cards right, I won't get in trouble. I nodded.

"Is everything okay at home?"

"Yeah, this just... Yeah." I yawned involutarily, then stiffened when I realized my mistake. Yawning in his face was not going to help my cause.

He must've felt really sorry for me, because instead of assigning detention, he sighed and asked, "Do you want me to write you a pass to go home?"

"Um..." I wasn't sure if this was a trap. He started writing it anyway. I smiled gratefully and headed out the door. I made sure not to run into the doorway, because it had happened twice already.

In the hallway, I almost tripped over someone. I was using the wall to guide me, not expecting someone to be sitting against it.

"Sorry," I apologized.

Heather looked up at me. "Watch where you're going," she spat, but her heart wasn't in it. Her usually pale face was red and blotchy, as if she'd been crying.

"Are you okay?" I actually had sympathy for her; I wasn't just being polite. We were kind of friend-ish. I had helped her win a million dollars once, after all. I don't think she ever got the money though. But I digress.

"I could ask the same to you," she countered. I waited for her to say more. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

I shrugged. "Alright, bye Heather." I didn't get a response.

It didn't occur to me until later that she was skipping class alone. She was missing her partner-in-crime, and one of my mortal enemies. No, not Duncan.

Alejandro.

* * *

**No Chop Monster in this chapter, but he will come soon enough. Sorry if this chapter was a little boring. I tried to make getting a black eye as exciting as possible. Also, what happened to Alejandro?**


End file.
